When former University President Neil L. Rudenstine first appeared on the cover of a national magazine, Newsweek, it was for taking a three-month hiatus in 1994 to recover from exhaustion.

University President Lawrence H. Summers had already graced the cover of Time when he was selected to succeed Rudenstine in March 2001.

And when The New York Times Magazine made Summers its cover profile last August, it was for his time on—not off—the job.

So it comes as no surprise that pieces on the former Secretary of the Treasury are slated to run in the pages of The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post this week alone.

In his first three years as Harvard’s 27th president, Summers has, by all accounts, fashioned himself as one of the most high-profile university presidents of the last half-century.

He has not hesitated to pound the bully pulpit on issues of importance to Harvard and higher education, from affirmative action to financial aid.

So far, the world is listening.

From phone calls with top Washington officials to front-page coverage in the national media, Summers has made waves, trading on the Harvard name to plug an agenda that he says will bolster the University’s standing and, in turn, his own public image.

“It’s sort of a judgment of how to best advance the interests of the University,” Summers says in an interview.

“I don’t think I’ve ever tried to speak out on issues that were apart from the University,” he adds, noting that he has attempted to “speak out quite consistently on issues in which there is a clear higher education nexus that seemed of national importance and that advances Harvard’s interests—and hopefully advances the country’s interests as well.”

In doing so, Summers has been increasingly careful to choose his battles from his presidential perch, speaking out in recent months on equal opportunity and financial aid in education and the importance of sciences and international awareness in a liberal arts education, while dodging more controversial political issues. In the process, he has meticulously cultivated his image as a leader on both national and educational issues.

Summers has also maintained ties to Washington, keeping up with his former colleagues from the Clinton administration. He is widely considered one of the top Democratic contenders to replace Chairman of the Federal Reserve Alan Greenspan upon his departure in 2006.

Summers will not comment on a return to Washington.

But for now, he is using his Washington connections and Washington-born fame to solidify the University’s role—and his own image—at the vanguard of higher education.

STEPPING TO THE PULPIT